Circular rib knitting machine



Sept. 6, 1932. J. slRMAY v CIRCULAR RIB KNITTING MACHINE Filed May 23. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l .R. w N V m /f QATTORNEYS Sept. 6, 1932. J. slRMAY CIRCULAR RIB KNITTING MACHINE 2 sheets-sheet Filed May 23. 1 930 IN V EN TOR.

6A TToRNEYs.

`Patented Sept. 6, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JULIUS SIB'MAY, O1? PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO J' AGQUARD XNI'ITING MACHINE CO., INC., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK CIRCULAR BIB XNITTING MACHINE Application led Hay 23,

This invention relates to circular knitting machines having more than one bank of needles and wherein two or more yarns are knitted on one set of needles in a pattern-controlled selective manner so as to produce a fancy effect on one face of the fabric, while the opposite face of the fabric is knitted more or less regularly. For brevity, I call the side or face of the fabric containin(lr the patterncontrolled fancy effect the bface of the fabric, and the side or face which is more or less regularly knitted, I call the back of the fabric.

In a two-feed circular rib machine, for example, when each dial needle knits at each pass of each feed, but, in individual rows of stitches, some of the cylinder needles stitch from the yarn of one feed and the remainder stitch from the yarn of the second feed, it is evident that the back of the fabric will contain twice as many stitches as the face of the fabric. Should the fancy face of the fabric 'be knitted in part from each of the three or more yarns, the difference between the number of stitches in the back and the number in the face of the fabric would be correspondingly greater. This fact has been recognized and certain machines and arrangements have been devised to equalize the number of stitches in the back and the face of the fabric.

One object of the present invention is to provide improved means to the same end. Another object is to provide means whereby the ratio of the number of stitches in the back to the number in the face of the fabric may be substantially anything desired, and which is of such a nature that the ratio of the number of stitches in the back to the number in the face can be changed easily. Still another object is to provide means to this or these ends which is readily applicable to existing designs 0f machines, and even to existing machines.

Instead of using, for example, cams to operate the needles of the bank or banks on which the back of the fabric is formed (which cams, when in operation, necessarily always operate all those needles whose butts are in the path of the cams), the operation of nee- 1930. Serial N0. 454,856.

dles of that or those banks is controlled (according to the present invention), at at least one yarn, by a skip-operator, as it may be called; that is to say, there is employed (according to the present invention) at at least one yarn, an operator that picks out and operates or otherwise determines the knitting on) only predetermined needles of the bank or banks on which the back of the fabric is formed, and skips the remainder or intermediate needles of the same bank or banks, at least temporarily, in much the manner of trick wheels. This operator may be arranged to operate on the needles in whatever manner, according to the nature of the knitting machine, may be necessary to cause the needles to form or miss stitches, as will be understood; for example, in machines having independently sliding latch needles, the skipoperator may be employed to project the needles to or start them toward their yarn-'taking positions. By reason of the skip-operation, in any row of stitches, a part and onl a part 'of the needles of the back-forming ank or banks form stitches from the particular yarn to which the skip-operator is allocated, and because of the nature of the needle operator the number of those needles which form stitches from that yarn in any row depends or need depend) on the construction of the skip-operator only. With respect to the other yarn or yarns, another or other types of devices may actuate (or otherwise cause to knit) the needles of the back-forming needle bank or banks of the machine; for example, ordinary needle operating cams may be used. Preferably however a skip-operator is employed for each of the yarns, orat each of the feeds, that take part in the production of the fancy effect; and usually they are so arranged that some of the skip-operators work on some lor all the needles of the back-forming bank that are skipped by the operator ahead of it. However, the primary purpose of employing more than one skip-operator, and especially employing a skip-operator at each yarn, is to reduce the number of stitches in the back of the fabric to a smaller number than is possible with one skip-operator alone, and usually to cause the back of the fabric to be formed from the various yarns in a uniform manner. Usually I believe that it will be desirable to cause the various yarns to share `rarrangement of such nature that the effect of any or all of the skip-operators can be discontinued at will, whereby plain ribbed fabric can be produced as desired, for example, or other variations in the knitting brought about; to better adapt such machines to the production of both plain and fancy fabrics by joining the skip-operators with multiple stitch cams; and by the conjoint use of skipoperators and a true jacquard-type pattern mechanism, the one operating on the cylinder needles and the other on the dial needles, to provide an improved form of circular rib machine capable of producing fabric having a design on one face as elaborate and in substantially as many colors as may be desired, but at the same time, having an elasticity and softness comparable with that of plain ribbed fabric. t

In the further description of the invention which follows, the skip-operators are described as applied to the dial ofa circular rib machine, and the pattern mechanism to the cylinder needles. the latter being the usual practice. It will be quite evident however that this is subject to reversal. and hence when reference is made to dial it is to be understood as including cylinder as an alternative, and reference to cylinder includes dial as an alternative, except as the contrary may appear.

The accompanying drawings illustrate a preferred form of the invention embodied in a multi-feed circular rib machine employing sliding latch Yneedles and having a true jacquard-type pattern mechanism for controlling the needles of the cylinder, the dial needles being controlled and operated by a skip-operator at each feed. Fig. 1 is a plan view of the essential parts of the machine, so far as the invention is concerned. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of a part thereof, to show particularly the pattern mechanism controlling the cylinder needles. Fig. 3, to a larger scale, is a sectional plan view of a part of the dial needle bank adjacent one of the skip-operators, the associated camsbeing set.

for skip-operation and the stitch cams for the production of fancy fabrics. Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of one of the slotted or trick wheels, or skip-operator per se. Fig. 5 is a face view of the same wheel. Fig. 6 illustrates the associated cams at one feed set to neutralize the selective action of the associated skip-operator; e. g. for the production of plain rib knit fabric, Fig. 7 shows the same readjusted for welting, that is to say, so set that none of the dial needles knit at this feed.

A considerable part of the mechanism usually found on circular knitting machines of the kind illustrated, has been omitted from the drawings; substantially only so much is shown as is necessary for an understanding ofthe invention.

The needle cylinder 1 and dial 2, containing independently sliding latch needles, are stationary in the present instance. It can be assumed that the same number of needles is used in the dial as in the cylinder, and that the dial needles project into the spaces between the cylinder needles in the customary manner. As before/indicated, the machine is a multi-feed machine. To serve the purposes of the particular jacquard-type pattern mechanism here shown, the cylinder cam ring is composed of two sections 3 and 4 rotating as a unit. The dial needles are actuated by mechanism carried by the dial cap 5 which is rotated around the axis 6 of the machine at the same angular speed as the cam ring 3 4. In brief, the pattern mechanism for the cylinder needles comprises a plurality of pattern drums 9, each carrying a pattern or section 10 of the pattern, perforated in accordance with the design or fancy effect to be produced on the face of the fabric; and a plurality of levers 11, one for each cylinder needle or small group of adjacent needles, which are selectively pushed inwardly underneath the feet of the corresponding jacks or needle extensions 13 by the drums 9 as these drums are turned step-by-step (clockwise in Fig. 2) and the respective pins 12 find perforations in the patterns or pattern sections 10. Of the acks 13, there is usually one for each cylinder needle. The parts are so timed that each drum 9 is turned a step just before each needle-raising cam 14 reaches the section of the cylinder served by the respective sections of the pattern mechanism. There is, of course, say a needle-raising cam 14 in each feed of the machine and these cams are carried on the cam ring section 4 (Fig. 2). The

levers 11 are pushed inwardly therefore in accordance with and as called by the perforations in the pattern. As each feed passes, the

needle-cam 14 of that feed raises the inner ends of all the levers 11. Those levers 11 which are not pushed inwardly at the moment, pass the feet of their needle-jacks 13 without raising them, and hence the correi needles can take yarn from the yarn uide which forms part of the same feed. titch cams, carried by cam ring section 3, retract the needles as will be understood, and as each cam 14 passes them the projected levers 11 are returned (more or less in succession) to their initial positions of Fig. 2, say by the springs 15. This type of pattern mechanism is Well known and needs no further descrlption. It forms a fancy effect on the face of the fabric by causing, in dividual rows of stitches, certain of the cylinder needles to knit from the yarn of one feed and the remainder of the cylinder needles to knit from the yarn or yarns of another or other feeds.

Each feed (in accordance with the preference before expressed) includes a skipoperator or edge-slotted or trick wheel for actuating the dial needles. The edge or periphery of each of these wheels is slotted as at 21 (usually in a regular manner) to permit the butts of certain or selected dial needles to pass through it; the butts of the other dial needles strike the Wheel andjthereby are projected toward their yarn-taklng positions. For this purpose the wheel 1s set at an angle to both the adjacent radlus from the machine center line 6 and the local tangent of the dial, as will be understood from trick wheel practice. The wheels are to rotate of course, and in accordance with trick wheel practice they may be driven by the butts of the needles engaging them; for driving purposes they may be notched as at 22 to receive the butts of the needles they project. The number, width and location of the slots 21 in the various wheels, i. e. the particular needles to be skipped at the respective feeds in any particular row of stitches, will be determined by the knitting for eX- .ample, by the number of stitches) desired at the back of the fabric. Vhen the design on the face of the fabric is worked out in two or three colors, the knitting of alternate or every second needle at each feed is usually suitable; the wheels 20 here illustrated are eut to knit each second needle (Fig. 5). The` knitting at the back is readily changed from time to time however by substituting a wheel or wheels of one eut for those of another, as will be apparent. The wheels are mounted on the dial cam cap 5 as shown in Fig. 1.

The distance the wheels can move the needles depends of course on the size of the wheels and the angular placement of the wheels with respect to the local tangents of the dial. Rather than employ the wheels full distances outwardly or inwardly), there are various advantages to be gained in using the wheels to only initiate the needle movements, and completing the needle movements by cams. Thus each wheel 20 is arranged to project its respectively selected needles to a point where the butts of these to move the needles their only well separated initiated by the local wheel, and a bye-race' of a little length is provided for the selected needles between each wheel 20 and its cam 29 such as is formed by the cams 26 and 27. By providing a cam to return the selected needles to their initial positions before they have been projected to their extreme positions, i. e. where the loops fall behind the needle latches, the effect of the skip-operator can be neutralized, for example when the knitting on the cylinder needles alone is desired. This result conveniently obtained by forming a cam 30 for this purpose on a member 28 which also carries the needle-projecting cam 29 and hinging this member 28 to the dial cam cap at 31; by turning this member to its position in Fig. 3, the retracting cam 30 is rendered inoperative and skipoperation of the needles is obtained; by turning the member 28 to its position in Fig. 7 however, raising cam 29 is rendered inoperative and the retracting ca m 30 is made effective, so that all the dial needles are held retracted, out of yarn receiving position, at the feed or feeds where this placement oecurs. At any feed, all the dial needles can be projected to their fullest extent at will (say for the knitting of plain ribbed fabric), by the addition of a cam to project those needles skipped by the local wheel 20. This may be such a cam as the cam 35 hinged to the dial cam cap at 36 back of the skip-operator. Such a cam is rendered ineffective by retraction inwardly to its/positioniin F ig. 3; by projecting it outwardly to its'position in Fi 6, it serves to project all the dial needl ski ped by its associated wheel 20.

ssoeiated with each skip-operator (par ticularly where both plain ribbed work and patterned work are to appear in the same piece of fabric), it is preferable to employ two stitch cams 40 and 42 for the needles controlled by the skip-operator, one set farther in advance `than the other. The more advanced cam, cam 40, is usually set =to draw its stitches in'about the same radial plane from center line 6 as the cooperating stitch cam (indicated as 43 in Fig. 7) of the opposite needle bank, and is used when the needles of this opposite bank are taking the various yarns in a selective manner (producing a fancy effect on the face of the fabric). Should th-e same stitch cam 40 be employed, without change, when plain ribbed knitting is being butt ofthe skippedl .lop

done, the plain ribbed work and the fancy work would not be of equal tightness. Therefore the advanced cam 40 is hinged to the dial cam cap (at 44) and is swung into o eration (position in Fig. 3) when fancy e ects are being knitted and held out of operation (position in Fig. 6) when plain ribbed knitting is being done. A cam to raise the needles of the opposite bank slightly (say to a trick osition) is usually provided a 'little behind the stitch cam 43, and the cam 42 is usually located opposite this point. When doing lain ribbed work, the cylinder needles may be operated or controlled by the pattern mechanism (Fig. 3) usually however a cylinder needle raising cam 1s provided on cam cylinder section 3 at each feed, this cam being movable into and out of action at will, and being placed in action when plain ribbed work 4 is to be done; the pattern mechanism is then rendered inoperatlve. With the. pattern mechanism illustrated, this last may be done by providing the patterns 9 with unperforated sections of appropriate length, or by raising the rear ends of the groups of levers 11 well above the patterns 10 by placing striker member 53 on the cam cylinder section 3 in position to actuate the lever-raising starwheel mechanisms 54, of which there is one for each section of the pattern mechanism. Such mechanism is already known and therefore need not be further described.

Mechanisms of various forms can be employed to turn the various hinged cams described to their various positions, which may be done either manually or automatically under pattern control. Thus the double-cam member 28 may be provided with a pin 45 (rising through a slot in the dial cap) engaged by a lever 46 hinged to the dial cap at 47 and connected by link 53 to rock shaft 51 rising from cam cylinder section 3; two projecting finger-levers 49 and 50, hinged at 48 on the cam cylinder, serve to rock shaft 51; when lever 49 is pushed into the position shown, lever 50 is thereby thrown outwardly, and shaft 51 is turned to the position shown and cam member 28 is placed in its position in Fig. 3; on the other hand, when finger lever 50 is pushed in, lever 49 is thereby thrown outwardly and cam member 28 is thrown over to its position in Fig. 7. Again, cam 35 may be provided with a pin 55 (also rising through a slot in the dial cap) engaged by a lever 57 hinged on the dial cam cap and linked to finger lever 58 hinged on the cam cylinder; when the outer end of lever 58 is turned from right to left, in Fig. 1, the cam 35 is turned to its inoperative position of Fig. 3, and simultaneously cooperating linger lever 59 (bearing on lever 58 at 60) is turned from left to'right; returning lever 59 to its position in Fig. 1 then restores cam 35 to its operative position of Fig. 6. The cam members 28 and 40 of each feed may be provided with such operating mechanism. When stitch cams such as 40 are turned to or from operative position however, it is usually desirable, or at least is readily permissible, that all these cams of all the feeds on the machine be turned at once; to this end the pins 56 rising from these cams 40 may be engaged by levers 63 hinged on the gaged at 64 by projections 65 from rock shafts 66 located in the Icam cylinder section 3; these shafts 66 have yokes 67 engaging pins rising from a shiftable ring 68, so that by shifting the ring 68 one way or the other, the camsI 40 can be moved to their position in Fig. 6, and back to their positions 1n Fig. 3, as will be obvlous. Mechanisms for shifting cams into and out of operation are well known; hence the foregoing brief descri tions of those shown will suiice.

Mec anisms, such for example as bob-pins, for controlling and actuating cam-shiftingmechanisms are also well known. For this purpose these is here shown a known master pattern mechanism 69, having bob-pin hea'ds 70 which, when raised to various positions under pattern control, are struck by the varidial cap and enous respective linger-levers as the cam cylinder rotates and carries these iinger-levers by this control station; by striking the bob-pins the finger-levers are shifted in the manner described.

In accordance with common practice, the yarns may be guided to the needles through latch plates 74 (Fig. 3), of which there is one for each feed. In order to make sure vthat none of the needle latches will strike these latch plates as the needles are projected at the various feeds, the dial cam race is usually provided with a cam 75 somewhat in advance of each feed to project all the dial needles far enough to open their latches; but not far enough to drop these loops behind the needle latches, of course. Generally the needles are restored to their initial rest positions immediately thereafter.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details of construction illustrated in the drawings, except as appears hereafter in the claims.

I claim:

1. In a circular rib knitting machine, the combination of a plurality of banks of needles, means for feeding a plurality of yarns thereto, means to cause the needles of one of said banks to knit from said yarns in a selective manner, needles of another of said banks one of said yarns on the needles of said another of said needle banks.

2. In a circular rib knitting machine, the combination of a plurality of banks of needles, means for feeding a plurality of yarns thereto, means to cause the needles of one of said banks to knit from said yarns in a selective manner, needles of'another of said banks being provided with projecting butts, a slotted wheel, slotted to permit certain of sald butts to pass thr^ugh it but engaging other of said butts to actuate the corresponding needles of said another needle bank, and continuously rotating, when in operation, as the wheel and said another needle bank are passed one over the other, controlling the knitting of one of said yarns on the needles of said another of said needle banks, and means controlling the knitting of the remainder of the yarns on the needles of the last mentioned needle bank.

3. In a circular rib knitting machine, the combination of a plurality of blanks of needles, means for feeding a plurality of yarns thereto, means to cause the needles of one of said banks to knit from said yarns in a selective manner, needles of another of said banks being provided with projecting butts, and a slotted wheel, slotted to permit certain of said butts to pass through it but engaging other of said butts to actuate the corresponding needles of said another needle bank, and continuously rotating, When in operation, as the Wheel and said another needle bank are passed one over the other, allocated to each of said yarns controlling the knitting of their respective yarns on the needles of said another of said needle banks.

4. In a circular rib knitting machine having cooperating dial and cylinder banks of independently sliding latch needles, the combination of means for supplying a plurality of yarns to the needles of both said banks, pattern mechanism to control the selective knitting of the needles of one of said banks from at least one of said yarns, needles of the other of said banks being provided with projecting butts, and a slotted Wheel, slotted to permit certain of said butts to pass through it but engaging other of said butts to slide the corresponding needles of said other bank, and continuously rotating, when in operation, as the wheel and said other needle bank are passed one over the other, allocated to one of said yarns, for actuating needles of said other of said needle banks.

5. In a circular rib knitting machine having cooperating dial and cylinder banks of independently'sliding latch needles, the combination of means for supplying a plurality of yarns to the needles of both said banks, pattern mechanism to actuate the needles of one of said banks to cause said needles to knit from said arns in a selective manner, and a needle-pro] ecting wheel, slotted to permit the butts of certain needles to pass throu h it but enga 'ng the butts of the other need es of a need e ank with which it is associated to project the latter, and continuously rotating, when in operation, as the Wheel and its needle bank are passed one over the other, allocated to one of said yarns for projecting certain of the needles of said other needle bank toward position for taking said yarn, and skipping others of the needles of said needle bank, in the formation of individual rows of stitches.

6. The subject matter of claim 4 characterized by the fact that, one of said slotted wheels, to control the needles of the last mentioned bank, is provided for each of said yarns.

7. In a circular rib knittin ing dial and cylinder banks o independently sliding latch needles, the combination of means for supplying a plurality of yarns to the needles of both said banks, means for causing the needles of one of said banks to knit from said yarns in a selective manner, needles of the other of said banks being provided with projecting butts, a slotted Wheel, slotted to permit certain of said butts to pass through it but engaging other of said butts to slide the corresponding needles of said other needle bank, and continuously rotating, when in operation, as the Wheel and lsaid other needle bank are passed one over the other, allocated to one of said yarns, to initiate sliding movement of needles of said other of said needle banks in connection with the knitting by needles of said other bank from the yarn to Which the said slotted Wheel is allocated, and a cam to complete the movement of the needles initiated by said slotted Wheel.

8. In a circular rib knittinor machine having cooperating dial and cylinder banks of independently sliding latch needles, the combination of means for supplying a plurality of yarns to the needles of both banks, means to cause the needles of one of said needle banks to knit from said yarns in a selective manner, a needle-projecting wheel, slotted to permit the butts of certain needles to pass through it but engaging the butts of the other needles of a needle bank With which it is associated to project the latter, and continuously rotating, When in operation, as the wheel and its needle bank are passed one over the other, allocated to one of said yarns, to move some of the needles of the other of said needle banks toward those positions in Which the said nee` dles can take the yarn to Which the sliding wheel is allocated, skipping others of the needles of the last mentioned needle bank, and 'a cam to complete the movement toward yarn taking position of the needles initially moved by said wheel.

9. In a circular rib knitting machine having cooperating dial and cylinder banks of independently sliding latch needles, the commachine havbination of means for su plying a plurality of yarns to the needles o both banks, means to cause the needles of one of said needle banks to knit from said yarns in a selective manner, a slotted wheel allocated to one of said yarns,

" to move some of the needles of the other of said needle banks toward those posltions 1n which the said needles can take the yarn to which the sliding wheel is allocated, skipplng others of the needles of the last mentioned needle bank, and a cam to return the needles moved by said wheel before the yarn to which the wheel is allocated reaches the said needles.

10. In a circular rib knitting machine havu ing cooperating dial and cylinder banks of independently sliding latch needles, the combination of means for supplying a plurality of yarns to the needles of both banks, means to cause the needles of one of said needle banks to knit from said yarns in a selective manner, a slotted wheel allocated to one of said yarns, to move some of the needles of the otherof said needle banks toward those positions in which thesaid needles can take the yarn to which the sliding wheel is allocated, skipping others of the needles of the last mentioned needle bank, anda cam member provided with a cam to complete the movement of the'needles initially moved by said wheel and a cam to return the needles moved by said wheel, said cam member being movable to bring said cams into operation alternately.

11. In a circular rib knitting machine having cooperating dial and cylinder banks of/ y independently sliding latch needles, the combination of means for supplying a plurality of yarns to the needles of both banks, meansto cause the needles of one of said needle banks to knit from said yarns in a selective manner, a slotted Wheel allocated to one of said yarns, to move some of the needles of the other of said needle banks toward those positions in which the said needles can take the yarn to which the sliding Wheel is allocated, skipping others of the needles of the last mentioned needle bank, and a cam, adjustable to and from operating position, for projecting the needles skipped by said sliding wheel.

12. In a circular rib knitting machine having cooperating dial and cylinder banks of independently sliding latch needles, the combination of means for supplying a plurality of yarns to the needles of both banks, means to cause the needles of one of said needle banks to knit from said-yarns in a selective manner, a slotted wheelallocated to one of said yarns, to move some of the needles of the other of said needle banks toward those positions in which the said needles can take the yarn to which the sliding wheel is allocated, skipping others of the needles of the last mentioned needle bank, and two stitch cams for the needles of said other needle bank, in the feed includin said sliding wheel, one more remote from t e slidin wheel than the other said other st'tch cam ing movable to and from o verating position.

13. n a circular rib knittin machine having cooperating dial and cylinderbanks of 1n ependently sliding latch needles, the combination of means for su plying a plurality of yarns to the needles o both said banks, a jacquard type of pattern mechanism to cause some of the needles of one of said needle banks, in individual rows of stitches, to knit from one of said yarns and the remainder of the needles of said bank to knit from the remainder of said yarns, and a ski -operator for each of said yarns to project t e needles of the other needle .bank toward yarn-taking position.

14. In a circular multiple-feed rib knitting machine having cooperating dial and cylinder banks of needles means for feeding a plurality of yarns thereto, pattern means causing, in individual rows of stitches, stitches of one of said yarns to be formed on some of the needles of one of said banks and, in each of said individual rows of stitches, causing stitches of another or other of said yarns to be formed on the remainder of the needles of said bank, thereby producing a fancy effect on the face of the fabric, and a skip-operator allocated to each of a plurality of said yarns, and each moving relatively to said needle banks, substantially synchronousl with the yarn to which it is allocated, controlling the knitting of their respective yarns on the needles of the other of said needle banks, said skip-operators being so correlated that substantially all the needles that have stitches formed on them by the action of one of said skip-operators in individual passes of the feeds of the machine are skipped by another or others of said skip-operators in the same individual passes of the feeds and .I

hence in those individual passes of the feeds have no stitches formed on them at said another' or other skip-operators, other needles having stitches formed on them by the action of the latter skip-operators in. those feed passes.

15. The subject matter of claim 14, characterized by the fact that a skip-operator is allocated to each of the plurality of yarns from which said pattern mechanism may cause stitches to be formed on the needles of the first mentioned one of said needlebanks, and by the fact that said /sln'p-operators are so correlated that substantially all the needles that have stitches formed on them by the action of any one skip-operator in individual passes of the feeds of the machine are skipped, in the same individual passes of the feeds, by such a number of the remaining skip-operators as equals the number of yarns required to produce the fancy efect less one,

specication.

JULIUS SIRMAY. 

